"The company launched its third New Glenn rocket over the weekend, successfully re-flying and landing a previously used first stage for the second time. But then the second stage put a direct-to-cellphone communications satellite in an orbit so low it can't survive."
"AST SpaceMobile, the satellite's builder, said the BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower-than-planned orbit and the onboard propulsion system couldn't compensate. The altitude is too low to sustain operations, and the satellite will de-orbit."
"The mishap puts a wrench in Jeff Bezos's plans to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX for commercial and military satellite launches. Blue Origin plans to launch a prototype moon lander later this year, followed by Amazon LEO internet satellites to compete with Starlink."
Blue Origin's third New Glenn rocket launch initially succeeded with a reused first stage landing. However, the second stage failed to place the BlueBird 7 satellite in the correct orbit, resulting in an altitude too low for operations. The satellite will de-orbit due to this mishap. This incident complicates Jeff Bezos's competitive strategy against Elon Musk's SpaceX in the satellite launch market. Future plans for a moon lander and Amazon's LEO internet satellites now hinge on the investigation's findings.
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